Most of the nine justices seemed skeptical of Allison Zieve's assertion that state court tort claims bolster the Food and Drug Administration. Zieve, a lawyer from Public Citizen Litigation Group, represents the late Charles Riegel's wife Donna.

Several of the justices appeared more receptive to the arguments of Ted Olson, a lawyer from Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP who represented Medtronic. Olson argued...